A peek into my passion for art.
Although my career goals lie in the field of design, my interest in art came first. When I say art, I truly mean it as an umbrella term. Throughout my life, I've experimented with almost any form of visual art you can imagine. From drawing and painting, ceramics and metalwork, to print making and fashion design, I've tried it all. Art is my first and greatest passion, and the reason I found myself wanting to pursue design academically and professionally.
My art journey has been lifelong, but I began to take it very seriously when I reached high school. I would pull all-nighters just so I could work on my drawings.
I used black and white drawings as a way to nail the basics before moving onto any other media.
I picked up painting soon after, and took an immediate liking to oil paint. I began focusing as much energy as possible on that. It's still my favorite medium to this day.
This painting was my proudest accomplishment in high school. It won me a national art award and was sent to a gallery for display.
I started making art outside of an academic setting. Competing in Virginia Museum of Fine Art's "Teen Stylin'" forced me to think outside the box and really explore my creativity. The object of the 10-week program was to create a wearable piece of art inspired by one of the museum's pieces.
At the same time, I started taking figure drawing classes at my local art center, where I was able to sharpen my technical skills significantly.
As I was wrapping up high school, I took a break from art. I was moving onto bigger and better things and no longer had time for such a time consuming hobby.
I took a two year hiatus from art to focus on academics, but art stayed in the back of my mind.
I decided I would minor in art, and began art courses again my junior year of college.
Starting with some design courses, I reignited my passion for art and haven't looked back since.
